Did somebody want to talk about whisky or whiskey?

[| broken harbour |]

A number of years ago I bought one of the first bottlings from Kilchoman, which was established in Islay in (I think 2006)  The first bottle that I bought was undated but is rumoured to be only 3 yrs old.  It's incredible, definitely in your face, but one of the finest scotch's I've ever had the pleasure to drink, I've had it it on my shelf for about 3 years now and it's definitely a 'special occasion only' type scotch due to it's rarity and cost.

So yes, I think age does tend to smooth out the rough edges in a whiskey, I personally like mostly 10-15 year old malts versus the really old stuff as they tend to be a little more in your face.

[Julio Di Benedetto]

Searched out the possible health benefits of drinking whiskey moderately....this was the best that I found.  No Mayo Clinic endorsements though.....

This is all about the benefits hiding away in your alcohol cabinet, now I am not talking about little umbrella drinks laden with sugary syrups and artificial colors, I am talking about 1 serving (strait up or on the rocks) per day taken like any other vitamin to benefit from the medicinal properties it brings to the table. Whiskey has been used as medicine for hundreds of years in fact before chemists began pumping out medications tailored to your ailment whiskey was the go to cure all everybody reached for, moonshine was infused with anything from peppermint to opium and marketed at a miracle cure and in prohibition the only person who could legally get alcohol was through a doctor. It has been scientifically proven that beverages like whiskey, scotch and bourbon contain no fat and very low carbs in fact the 0.04 grams of carbohydrates a shot of whiskey does contain is immediately turned to energy one it is digested. I am sure you are thinking of your favorite brand fondly at this point and daydreaming about pouring yourself a victory shot just to spite the nay sayers but we have only just begun, you see whiskey is no one trick pony. Along with not adding inches to your waist line, whiskeys have been shown to aid in prevention of dementia and stroke by as much as 50%, it has shown to lower chances of developing diabetes between 30 and 40% and in cancer studies whiskeys high amounts of the antioxidant ellagic acid have been shown to destroy cancer cells. Now lets talk about heart health, whiskey decreases blood clots and increases good cholesterol. Additional benefits of whiskey are being looked in to by scientists looking to make a truly great discovery in the world of science as you read this so who knows what will be the next positive reason to toast to good health will be. The best thing about whiskey is that it is easy to make, a stove top still is an simple setup for distilling moonshine whiskey in small amounts for medical purposes. Remember that these benefits are only gained through moderate use (1-2 shots a day), you do not want to form a dependance on alcohol, the inability to function without a drink in a grid down situation is like signing your own death warrant, enjoy the health benefits of whiskey in moderation. /i]

[Julio Di Benedetto]

I have read about Kilchoman......good to see a new distillery when most date back to the 1800's.  Sounds like it will be hard to source.

[mgriffin]

Bulliet bourbon is really good. When it was first introduced in our area, it was much cheaper and Lena and I drank it all the time. Then it became popular and the price rose by nearly double, so we don't buy it as often. As much as I love Scotch, I probably drink bourbon more often, especially alongside beer. Scotch with beer doesn't really work -- but a bourbon and a beer is lovely!

I'm also very much into rye whiskey lately. It's very similar to bourbon, just a bit spicier, with more of a sizzle. Rye seems to be making a comeback, after several decades where most people considered it old fashioned and unhip.

[mgriffin]

Oh, and... Highland Park. I've always heard good things about it, but the name doesn't really seem exotic or Scottish to me. "Highland Park" sounds like an affluent suburb of Los Angeles or something!

[Julio Di Benedetto]

. "Highland Park" sounds like an affluent suburb of Los Angeles or something!

 

[mgriffin]

Just picked this up yesterday, and tried it last night. Very nice!

[Julio Di Benedetto]

Got a bottle of Ardbeg Uigeadail as a Xmas gift....had it before and was not that keen, strange as I love Ardbeg 10....tried it hoping and took it back.

I got this in its place.  I thought of trying the Highland Park 15 as I enjoyed the 12yr but went for the Aberlour 16.....my favorite non Islay malt so far.  It has a complexity to it as a Lagavulin but no peat and for me has more depth the a Belvenie 12 and in some way the Highland Park 12 that does have a little more smoke.  You wont miss the smoke and the ocean in this one

[Julio Di Benedetto]

Some thoughts on whiskey glasses.  Spending such crazy amounts of money on this delicious liquid I thought I would look into improving the experience if possible by getting dedicated glass


Started with this as it was already in house.


then moved to this, a Riedel spirit glass....its about 3+ inches high big improvement on the nose over the rocks glass.


then tried this....in house port glass.  a bigger glass gave the whiskey more room.


then this...a Glencairn nosing copita or sherry glass. Smaller than the port glass but intenser on the nose


and lastly this...The Glencairn "official" whiskey glass. Probably the best.


Hey.... its your dram and a glass is a glass is a glass?  Personally the rocks glass is out as it does not concentrate the vapor coming off the whiskey.  None of these glasses actually alters the taste....it does change slightly from glass to glass but this is because each one delivers the liquid to the palette differently due to their individual shapes.

Some glass lore Ive discovered along the way.....enjoy.

[Julio Di Benedetto]

I have been enjoying this one in the new year.... I was expecting more of an impact from the rum casks, its there and adds a spice to the taste just subtle which is not a bad thing. I find the nose is not there as Ive become used to in the malts Ive been drinking recently and for me 50% of the enjoyment is in the smell.  Perhaps coming in after such intense and dynamic malts as Lagavulin 16 & Aberlour 16 it could seem a bit well manner but certainly not shy.  Definitely worth exploring. 

[thirdsystem]

What a great topic.

Ahh...................Talisker.............made on the western side of Skye, nectar of the gods  . Not too peaty but with sufficient to hint at its Island origin.

One of my favourite Islay malts......Bunnahabhain (pronounced Buna-hah-ven)



Last time I bought this islay malt it had been matured in sherry casks. One of the most beautiful whiskys I have ever consumed. Stunning.

[mgriffin]

Thanks for contributing, thirdsystem.

I had meant to reply to Julio's post about glasses, and never got around to it -- busy lately!

Anyway I've never heard of Bunnahabhain.

[Julio Di Benedetto]

Yes thanks for joining in Thirdsystem......I have been looking at the Bunnahabhain 12, supposed to be non peat from what I understand.  Islay malt without peat   Thanks for the recommendation.

This one is very special.   The GlenDronach 15 was high recommended to me,  one of the greats but so was the price $90-100, so I went for the 12.....whats so interesting and enjoyable is that a given whiskey has such a diverse and complexed taste....I have not tasted one that is similar, in quality yes.....even the smoke is different in a peated malt. 

This is the crazy part. I've been doing this for almost a year now and I have not had ONE SINGLE COLD. I use to deal with 3-4 colds a year so I'm of the opinion a tiny bit of this stuff a day is sort of killing off germs.  Plus I sleep way better!

In the last six months since I have been seriously enjoy this whiskey trail I can say that I seem to have a better sense of well being.....cant actually put my finger on it.....a dram or 2 a night.  So easy to do more and how quick this stuff comes back to bite you!  Does not tolerate abuse.  Everything in moderation.

[thirdsystem]

If you go for the Bunnahabhain 12 Julio I really hope you get a similar sherry oak matured dram. I scoofed that bottle about 4 years ago, so hopefully they have still been bottling from a similar quality of wood.

Definite strong hints of peatyness still but in a more restrained, rounded, gentle nature when compared with other Islays.

Amazing you mention Glendronach. Many, many years ago ( in fact in a different life it seems  ) I had a two week work attachment there and at it's sister distillery at the time Ardmore.

Picturesque wee distillery in the Aberdeenshire Hills...

[Julio Di Benedetto]

Ah...so there is some peat in the Bunnahabhain 12, perhaps in the way Talisker and Highland Park do.  Its up next.   

I have been to Scotland a few times when I lived in England from the age of about 5 - 22 before returning to America.  Camping in the Outer Hebrides was highlight.  I was either Lewis or Harris....seems another lifetime ago for sure.  What a privilege for me now that I have the memory of the wonderful landscape and people as I enjoy these malts today.

Thanks for the picture Thirdsystem...good to chat with someone really close to the subject.

[thirdsystem]

Thanks for your nice post Julio. It is great to hear from other whisky lads as enthusiastic as myself on this magnificent alcoholic nectar 

I see Auchentoshan was mentioned earlier in this thread. Now that is a very interesting one. What would be described as a light, lowland malt. It is triple distilled. I have been in the still house. We are talking magnificent here.....



This was a constituent part of one of the whisky blends I used to work on. I always liked the nose, and the taste  , on it. Sweet, light, delicate but refreshing. Have not tasted it for about 25 years. Will have to put that right 

[Julio Di Benedetto]

Hi Thirdsystem.....from what you say I take it you are or were in the distillery business, or better put craft. Actually Im coming to appreciate it as an art.

Went for the Bunnahabhain 12....no sherry oak, very pale like the Ardbeg 10.  Love the nose, found the taste a tad underwhelming.  Took it back and trade it for the Auchentoshan 12.  It is everything you said.....Im not accustomed to some much presence in a whiskey that as you suggested would be light.  It is so but not faint of heart.....mandarin, on that second inhale...oh yes, and candy toffee.

Its strange to be able to take back something you have committed to in ones purchases....Im not entirely comfortable with it....someone has to suck it up, most likely me when I go for a tasting and a good portion is what I returned.   Still they keep telling me if you dont like it....whats a poor boy to do?

[thirdsystem]

Hey Julio, that is very disappointing about the Bunnahbhain. That is why I stated I hoped they were still bottling from the same wood source as the one I enjoyed. Clearly not. This can be one of the issues with single malts in particular, particularly low volume bottlings, where the variance in the wooden cask can change the entire quality and overall experience of the dram. The Bunnahabain I consumed  was utterly beautiful. More like an 18 year old, rounded, dripping with mature sherry overtones with a hint of peat. One of the best drams ever. It was going to be my next purchase but I will research further on that first.

Interestingly I was out on Burns night on Saturday there and saw they had Bunnahabain on their Whisky Shelf in the Pub. Was very tempted but stuck to pints of Tennants Ice Cold Lager  .

In a previous life I worked in the Whisky blending industry as a blender and quality controller. Paid for drinking whisky  although as I am sure you know it is all done on the nose  .

Glad you liked the Auchentoshan, always fancied a bottle.

[Julio Di Benedetto]

Heres a little video on the Bunnahbhain 18...sounds closer to what you describe Thirdsystem



Picture of my current dram.....Auchentoshan 12, could be one of my favorites when no peat is desired, certainly up there with the Aberlour 16 and at a price point that will make me go back for more

[thirdsystem]

Heres a little video on the Bunnahbhain 18...sounds closer to what you describe Thirdsystem

That sounds exactly like my dram Julio. Also can tell by the colour that has been in sherry wood.

Funnily enough it must be over 5 years since I scoofed that bottle of 12 year old, which tends to suggest the current 18year old Bunnahabhain is bottled from a similar quality of high class sherry oak. I will therefore have to check out the 18yo